Indian businesses and services in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

Ask a South Asian family in Dubai where they live and quite often the answer is Sharjah. Rents have traditionally been lower here, and many people make the daily commute down Al Ittihad Road, which is slow at peak hours in both directions; anyone moving to Sharjah for a Dubai job should test the journey before signing a lease.

The old centre around Rolla, near Rolla Square, is the area most associated with South Asian shopping, with fabric and clothing shops, electronics, money exchanges and small restaurants on every block. Abu Shagara and Al Nahda are popular with expatriate families, with Indian-curriculum schools a short drive away, while Al Taawun, Al Qasimia and Al Majaz fill in between with apartment blocks, clinics and grocers. Schools are a large part of why families settle here.

Sharjah is more conservative than its neighbour. Alcohol is not served in the emirate's hotels and restaurants, and it is worth knowing the local rules on dress and behaviour before you arrive. In neighbouring Dubai, the Hindu temple and the Guru Nanak Darbar gurdwara stand side by side in Jebel Ali, and the Krishna temple still operates in the old Bur Dubai souk. Community life runs through associations and school halls, where Onam, Diwali and Eid gatherings are held. Sharjah was UNESCO's World Book Capital in 2019, and every November it hosts the Sharjah International Book Fair.